Locomotive and superheater therefor



Sept. 13, 1932. `E l.. scHl-:LLENS 1,876,766

LOCOMOTIVE AND SUPERHEA'LER THEREFOR Filed April 2, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet l Lf/f N vm Sept. 13, 1932.l E, L. scHELLENs 1,875,766

' LOCOMOTIVE AND SUPERHEATER THEREFOR Filed April 2, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept 13, 1932- E. L. scHELLl-:Ns 1,876,766

LOGOMOTIVE AND SUPERHEATER THEREFOR Filed April 2. 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept. 13, 1932. E. L. scHELLENs 1,876,766

LOCOMOTIVE AND SUPERHEATER THEREFOR Filed April 2. 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 64 l0 ya 30 /70 /0 E z f6 v ya l i t l 1 l l i I l l veoi O-MQASVMMM.

, EUGENE L. scHELrlENs, OE RIEGEWOODI,

Patented Sept. 13,` 1932 'rss` rNG COMPANY, or Encan-woon, NEW

NEW JERsEEAssIGNOR To o-sl ENGINEER- altissimi, A CORPORATION or,A DELAWARE Locorrorrvn AND sUrE'nnEAfrEa THEREEOE Appueation filed Aprn e,

This invention relates to locomotives andto superheaters for imparting additional heat to thesaturated steam prior to its introduc tion into the engine cylinders.

ik, Superheaters usually have been installed in the smoke box ofthe locomotive boiler,

with the superheater tubes located within certain, and enlarged, fire tubesof the boiler. There are certain disadvantages to this con.- struction and locationof the superheater. It is tedious Vto repair the superheatersince usually it is necessary to remove'the draft appliances that are located in the smoke boX in front ofthe superheater in yorder togain actubes. Consequently, these frontportions of the superheatertubes are of' little value and may even act to cool the steam. VThelocation of the superheater tubes within the fire tubes necessitates enlarged lire tubes and thusreduces the effective evaporating surface of the boiler and hencereduces the evaporating eficiency over that which theboiler would have if a larger number of smaller fire tubes were used. Furthermore, the superheaterfis lof cated in the path of partially cooledfcombustion gases so that the temperature of superheat of the steam is limited. f

Thus an object of the present invention" is the provision of a locomotive boiler and a superheater therefor which shall' be free from the above enumerated objections. A further object of the invention 'is the provision of a locomotive boiler having a Ysuperheater which is disposed between the lire boX and the evaporating tubes of the boiler and thus is in the path of the uncooled combustion gases. an arrangement is highly advantageous as the superheater can berelatively small V'as com.-

pared with the usual superheater and can lt has been found that suchv 1930. sria1` No. l 440,950.

have a smaller heating surface, thus taking up `lessfroomthan the usual superheater and yet furnish a degree of superheat which is higher than vcan besupplied with vthe usual superheater. p -3- Another object of the invention is the provision of a superheater that is located as above described and is entirely free and outside of the fire tubes of the boiler so that a large number of small fire tubes can be utilized and thus a large evaporating surface provided even though the length of the lire tubes maybe shorter than has been the usual practice.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a-Y'locomotive boiler having a superheater located between the fire boX and the re tubes of ythe boiler and wherein the length of the combustion space between the fire Vand the entrance to the lire tubes is increased over the usual practice Aso as to obtain an increased length of passage of the gases before they enter the fire tubes, thereby insuring a more thorough mixture of the combustion gases and better combustion and thereby an increased efficiency. Y

A further object ofthe invention is the provision of a locomotive boiler and a superheater therefore arranged as'above described and wherein means are interposed between the fire b oX and the superheater to shield thersup'erheater fromv the direct radiant heat 'of the fire, which means'can comprise shielding surfaces, asv water evaporating conduits. Y

A further object of the invention is the' provision of'a locomotive boiler which'ha's' siphons between the fire boX and the'fire tubes, 'and a superhe'ater which is located between the siphons and the lire tubes. The superheater embodying `vention has saturated and superheated steam headers between which the superheating tubes are extended. Due to the location of the the present insuperheater between the fire and the fire tubes, the superheater is subjected to high temperatures.- For this reason another object of the invention is to provide the superheater and its headerwith means permitting the free longitudinal expansion and contraction ofasuperheater header while restraining it from lateral displacement or vibration;

and with means to shield a header from direct contact with the heated combustion gases.

A further object of the invention is generally to improve the construction and operation of boilers and superheaters.

Fig. lis a side elevation, partly in section illustrating such elements of a locomotive as are considered necessary to illustrate the present invention. Fig. 2 is aV section taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and illustrating in particular an end view of the superheater of Fig. 1, only a suficient number of superheater tubes necessary to illustrate the construction being shown.

Fig. 3 is a section taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

"Fig 4 is an enlarged elevation of the superheater of Fig. 1. Y Fig. 5'is a plan view of the superheater of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a side'elevation of a modified form of a superheater. i

Fig. 7 is a plan detail taken along line 7-7 of Fig. 6. i Fig. 8 is a sectional detail taken along line 8--8 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation of a further modified form of superheater. Y

Fig. 10 is a transverse elevation taken along line 10-10 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a detailed sectional elevation illustrating another modified form'of superheater.

As shown in Fig. 1, the locomotive and the superheater embodying the present invention include the boiler 16 having the grate 18 which supports the fire, the'rear tube sheet 20, the front tube sheet 22, the fire tubes 24 which extendv between the tube sheets, the smoke box 26, the smoke stack 28, the steam dome 30, and the engine cylinders 32. A plurality of transversely spaced siphons 34 are located in the combustion chamber between the fire and the rear tube sheet 20 in a more or less usual manner to increase the evaporation efliciency of the boiler. Rows of baie plates 36 are located between the siphons and constitute an arch and extend upwardly from the bottom thereof and are terminated short of the upper ends thereof to provideA passages 38 through which the hot combustion gases pass from the fire box 40 beneath said baffle plates to the main portion of the combustion chamber 42 between the siphons and the rear tube sheet.

In accordance with the present invention, the superheater herein generally indicated by the numeral 44 in Fig. 1 is located in said combustion chamber forward of the siphons 34 and in the rear of the rear tube sheet 20. It receives saturated steam from the dry pipe 46, the open end of which is located under the steam dome 30, and superheats the steam and passes the superheated steam through "05 thepengine throttle valve 48 and `thence through the pipes 50, but one being illustrated, to the engine cylinders 32. The superheater illustrated in Fig. 1 is shown in greater detail in Fig. 4. The superheater includes the saturated steam header 52 and the superheatedsteam header 54. rlhe saturated steam header herein consists of a vertically disposed conduit which is closed at the bottom and is open at the top and is secured to and depends from the top of the crown sheet 56 of the boiler and is in communication with the dry pipe 46, the lower end of which is also secured to the crown sheet 56. Vhile the upper end of the header is fixed against movement, means are provided which supports the lower end of the header against lateral movement while permitting it to expand and contract freely in response to temperature variations. For this purpose, the lower end of the header is provided with a depending bracket 58 which has a projection 60 that is vertically loose in a guide plate 62 that is secured to the lower portion of the crown sheet which at this location forms the bottom wall of the combustion chamber. The projection 60thus is free for vertical movement in said plate, whereby to permit expansion and contraction of the header, but is held against lateral movement. y The superheated steam header 54 is carried by the lower portion of the crown sheet and extends vertically upward in the rear of the saturated steam header. The superheated steam header is closed at the top and is open at the bottom and passes through the bottom portion of the crown sheet and also through the outer shell 64 of the boiler where it connects with a take-off casting 66 that is connected through an expansion joint 68 with the throttle valve 48. The take-off casting may be provided with a series of internally screw-threaded holes 70 for taking off steam for the operation of the various locomotive accessories. The superheated steam header is provided with a jacket 72 which substantially envelops the rear portion of the header and thus shields it from contact with the highlyheated colnbustion gases that would otherwise impinge against it. The jacket 72 Y is integral with the header and has an opening 74 in the lower end which communicates through the bottom portion of the crown sheet, or the bottom wall of the combustion chamber, with the water space thereunder. The jacket is also open at the top and is fixed to and communicates with the steam space above the crown sheet, thereby providing a circulating path 75 for water and steam and forming in effect a siphon which increases the evaporative effect of the boiler and at the same time protects the superheated steam header from the action of the highly heated combustion gases.

The superheated steam header is provided with vertically spaced forwardly extended hollow ears 7 6 to the opposite sides of which M in length transversely extended parallel V.and horizontal auxiliary or branch headers f7 8 are fixed as by welding. rlhe outer ends of said auxiliary headersv are closed while the inner ends are inl communication with the interior Vof the main header through the ears 76. The saturated steam header is provided with similar` ears 8O which are rearwardly extended toward -the superheated steam header; and auxiliary headers 82 similar to said headers 78 are fixed to said ears. The auxiliary headers Y82 are higher in elevation than the respective headers 78. Sets orbundles 83 of superheater tubes 84 are connected between the auxiliary headers'of the two main headers, each bundle consistingV of a plurality of superposed vertically spaced :horizontal passes of tube, the toppass' being fixed, as welded,rto and in communication with a saturated steam auxiliary header and the lower pass being similarly connected to and in communication' with the corresponding auxiliary superheated steam header. lA considerable number of such bundles are connected to and extended between the auxiliary headers Von both vsides of the main headers. Thus the saturated steam entering the saturated steam header 52 is caused to traverse the bundles of superheater tubes and become superheated. The superheated steam passes from theftubes into the main superheated steam headerand thence to the engine cylinders.y l- 1 y With the above described arrangement, the superheater tubes 84 can be relatively short since they are-located in the highly heated gases and'can thus supply superheated steam at a high temperature tothe engine cylinders. A relatively large number of superheater tubes can Abe utilized since they can be closely spaced as'their location is not determined by the presence of the iire tubes of theboiler and the dimensions of the fire tubes. The'fire tubes 24 can be made smaller in diameterV than canbe the case Vwherethe superheater" pipes are located within the fire tubes and thus an increased evaporatingv surface of fire tubes can be provided. Y

The superheater is shielded from theradiant heat of the hre by the bathe or arch 36 and also vby the siphons 34. The particular construction of Siphon-herein shownl while now'commoniin the art can berepiaced by any other suitableform of water and steam containing passage, not necessary' to illustrate, that functions to shield the superheater from excessive radiant heat.

kThe superheate'r is so constructed and located that it is .conveniently accessible when the boiler is cold; and the superheater is spaced the tubesheet 2O so that the rear tube sheet is also accessible.

The superheated steam outlet of the superheater is through the bottoni of the boiler Shell; and the throttle valve 48 and the pipes in the combustion chamber 4:2@

50 which 'conduct superheated steam to the engine cylinders' are also belowv the boiler shell.l Thus the top of the'locomotive is clear of all large size piping andrittings which would obstruct the vision` of the engine driver impose special clearance limitations and present an unsightlyv appearance.

While the superheater illustrated in Figs 1 through 'is for manypurposes the preferred construction, yet it may be advantageouslyV modified for certain purposes. In Fig. 6, the superheater tubes 84a are of spiral formation and the ends thereof'areconnected to branches86 of the auxiliary headers 78a, 82a. In the modificationillustrated in' Figs. 9 `and 10, the saturated steam header 88 is locatedv in the. steam space between the crown sheet 56 and theJouter boiler shell 64'andextends longitudinally ofthe boiler and has its upper end 90 in'the steam dome 80. The header is provided 'with oppositely `extended auxiliary headersl92 which extend through the4 crown sheet andarepwelded therein. The superheated steam header 94; extends through the outer shell and the crown sheetofv the boiler at the bottom thereof and` has two' rearwardly extended auxiliary headers 96 which are disposed beneath the auxiliary Y headers 92. Vertically extended spirallyy wound superheater coils 98 are connected between the auxiliary superheatedv andfsaturated steam*V headers. InV 'the modification shown'in Figrll the crown sheet 56a which Acomprises' the sidewall ofV 'the combustion chalnbernis made as a Ysteel casting and has the saturated steam header OO'andthe superheated steam header 102integr`al therewitlrV Hollow' ears`104 extend from the saturated steam header into vthe interior of thejcombustion chamber vand otherhollow ears extendlu'pwardly from thesuperheated steam header into the 'combustion chamber, these ears being integral with'the` wall-of the combustion chamber yand also with the header. Pipes l08fconstituting branch headers, which extend in'opposite directions from the` ears, are welded thereto and receive the plurality of inclined superheater tubes 1l() which are arranged .in parallel form, as shownin F ig; l.

l claimt x V 1. A locomotive ,boilerhaving a combustion chamber, a rear tube` sheet forming the front wallof said chamber, fire tubes terminated at said tubesheet, and a-superheater the-steam delivered from said boiler l-ocated in said combustion chamber in the rear of said tube sheet and free and independent of said iire tubes havingindepend'ent saturated and superheated steamjheaders one off which is carried-by the top wall and the other f kby the bottom Vwall ofv said `combustion chamber.

2. A locomoti e boiler having a combustion chamber, evaporating tubes communicating u with said combustion chamber', and a superheater for superheating the steam supplied by said boilerhaving saturated and superheated steam headers which are located at 3 least in part in and are extended respectively through the top and bottom parts of said combustion chamber, and superheater tubes connected between said headers.

3. A locomotive boiler having a combusm tion chamber located within and surrounded W tively by the Water space of the boiler, a rear tube sheet which forms the front wall of said combustion chamber, evaporating tubes terminated at said tube sheet, and a superheater for superheating the steam supplied by said boiler having superheated and saturated steam headers which are located yat least in part in said combustion chamber in the rear of said tube sheet and are extended respecthrough the top and bottom parts of said combustion chamber and the water space, and superheater tubes connected between said headers.

` 4. A locomotive boiler having a combustion chamber, a rear tube vsheet which forms the front Wall of said chamber, evaporating tubes terminated at said tube sheet,.and a super heater for superheating the steam supplied by said boiler having a saturated steam header. which is located at least in na rt in said combustion chamber and is carried by the top wall thereof in the rear of said tube sheet, a superheated steam header which also is located at least in part in said combustion chamber and is carried by the bottom wall of said chamber in the rear of said tube sheet, and superheater pipes located in said combustion chamber and extended between said headers.

5. A locomotive boiler having evaporating tubes, a combustion chamber communicating with said tubes, and a superheater located in said combustion chamber for superheating the steam supplied by said boiler, said superheater having a header which is located in said combustion chamber and is fixed to a wall thereof and extends toward the opposite Wall thereof, said opposite wall and said header having loosely interengaged parts that hold said header against lateral movement while permitting said header to expand and contract longitudinally.

6. A locomotive boiler having evaporating tubes, a combustion chamber communicating with said tubes, and a superheater located in said combustion chamber for superheating the steam supplied by said boiler, said superheater having a header which is located in said combustion chamber and is fixed to a wall thereof and extends toward the opposite wall thereof. and means for holding the free end of said header against lateral movement while permitting the header to expand and contract longitudinally.

Y 7. A locomotive boiler having a combustion chamber, evaporating tubes in communication with the combustion gases that pass through said chamber, and a superheater for superheating the steam supplied for said boiler having superheater tubes located in said combustion chamber in the rear of said evaporating tubes, a lsaturated steam header connected with said tubes and carried by and having a connection which is extended through the top wall of said chamber and communicates with the steam space in said boiler, and a superheated steam header which also is connected with said superheated steam tubes and which is carried by and has a superheated steam outlet through the bottom wall of said chamber.

8. A locomotive boiler having a combustion chamber, a rear tube sheet which forms the front wall of said chamber, ire'tubes terminated at said tube sheet, and a superheater located in said combustion chamber in the rear of said tube sheet for superheating the steam supplied by said boiler having a saturated steam header which is carried by the top wall of said combustion chamber and extends downwardly therein at the rear of said tube sheet, a superheated steam header which is carried by the bottom wall of said combustion chamber and extends upwardly therein at the rear of said saturated steam header, horizontal auxiliary headers which are carried by said superheated and saturated steam headers and extend horizontally in opposite directions therebeyond, and superheater tubes extended between said auxiliary saturated and superheated steam headers.

' 9. A locomotive boiler having a combustion chamber, siphons in said combustion chamber, evaporating tubes communicating with said chamber in front of said siphons, and a superheater located inv said combustion chamber between said siphons and said evaporating tubes for superheating the steam supplied from said boiler and having a saturated steam header carried by the top of said combustion chamber and a superheated steam header carried by and having an outlet through the bottom of said combustion chamber forwardly of said siphons.

Y 10. Al locomotive boiler having a crown sheet which forms a combustion chamber, a rear tube sheet which forms the front wall of said combustion chamber, fire tubes terminated at said tube sheet, siphons extended between the top and bottom of said crown sheet in said combustion chamber in vthe rear of said tube sheet and communicating with the steam space in said boiler above said crown sheet and with the water space in said boiler below the bottom portion of said crown sheet, a grate which supports the fire located beneath said siphons, and a superheater located in said combustion chamber between said siphons and said rear tube sheet for superheating the steam supplied by said boiler and having a saturated steam header carried by and having an inlet through the top of said crown sheet with said steam space, and also having a superheated steam header carried by and having an outlet through the water space under said crown sheet.

1l. A locomotive boiler having a crown sheet which forms a combustion chamber, a rear tube sheet which forms the front wall of said combustion chamber, re tubes terminated at said tube sheet, sphons extended between the top and bottom of said crown sheet in said combustion chamber in the rear of said tube sheet and communlcat-- ing with the steam space in said boiler above said crown sheet and with the water space in said boiler below the bottom portion of said crown sheet, a grate which supports the lire located beneath said siphons, and a superheater located in said combustion chamber between said siphons and said rear tube sheet for superheating the steam supplied by said boiler and having a saturated steam header carried by and having an inlet through the top of said crown sheet with said steam space, and also having a superheated steam header carried by and having an outlet through the water space under said crown sheet, said siphons being spaced apart transversely of said expansion chamber, and a fire arch located between said siphons, said siphons and re arch constituting means which shields said superheater from the radiant heat of the fire. Y Y

12. A boiler having evaporating tubes, means including a combustion chamber to supply a heated gas to said tubes, a Vsuperheater located in the gas stream in said combustion chamber for superheating the steam supplied by said boiler and having saturated and superheated steam header structures, one' of said structures being extended across said combustion chamber and connected to the top and bottom thereof and having a water jacket enclosing at last a part of the steam space thereof, said jacket having a Water inlet which is in communication through the bottom of said combustion chamber with the water space in said boiler and having an outlet through the top of said combustion chamber which is in communication with the steam space in said boiler.

13. A locomotive boiler having a boiler shell, a combustion chamber extended forwardly Within said shell from the rear end thereof and spaced therefrom and providing a water space under and a'steam space above said combustion chamber, a grate at one end of `said chamber for supporting the re, a rear tube sheet which formsv the front wall of said chamber, evaporating tubes terminated at said tube sheet, and a superheater located in said combustion chamber between Said grate and said tube ysheet for superheating heater having saturated and superheated steam headers which are located in said combustion chamber respectively near said tube sheet and said grate, and said superheated steam header having a water jacket that is interposed between the re and said header and has an inlet at the bottom that is in communication with the water space under said combustion chamber and an outlet at the top that is in communication with the steam space above said combustion chamber.

14. A locomotive boiler having a combus-V tion chamber, a superheater therein having saturated and superheated steam headers andv name to this specication.

EUGENE L. SCHELLENS.

las

the steam supplied by said boiler, said jsuper-` Y 

